The annual inflation rate in Pakistan has jumped from 5.12 percent in September to 7 percent in October, the highest in four years, as a result of increase in prices of gas, fuel and eatable items as well as rupee devaluation, said Pakistan Bureau of Statistic (PBS) on Friday. According to Monthly Review on Price Indices released here by PBS on month-on-month basis, prices have witnessed a 2.56 percent increase in October over the past month.
The annual inflation rate has been the highest since September 2014, when it had hit 7.68 percent. The PBS said, "Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation general increased by 7.0% on year-on-year basis in October 2018 as compared to an increase of 5.1% in the previous month and 3.8% in October 2017. On month-on-month basis, it increased by 2.6% in October 2018 as compared to a decrease of 0.1% in the previous month and increase of 0.7% in October 2017."
According to PBS, on annual basis the core inflation measured by non-food non-energy CPI (Core NFNE) increased by 8.2% in October 2018 as compared to an increase of 8.0% in the past month and 5.3% in October 2017. On monthly basis, it increased by 1.1% in October 2018 as compared to an increase of 0.4% in past month, and an increase of 0.9% in October 2017.
Core inflation measured by 20% weighted trimmed means the CPI increased by 6.7% on an annual basis in October 2018 as compared to 5.8% in the past month and by 4.0% in October 2017. On a monthly basis, it increased by 0.8% in October 2018 as compared to an increase of 0.1% in September and an increase of 0.6% in October 2017.
Sensitive Price Index (SPI) inflation on yearly basis increased by 1.4% in October 2018 against an increase of 1.1% a month earlier and an increase of 2.1% in October 2017. On monthly basis, it increased by 1.2% in October 2018 as compared to a reduction of 0.1% a month earlier and an increase of 0.9% in October 2017.
According to PBS, the inflation measured through Whole Sales Index (WPI) on yearly basis increased by 13.1% in October 2018 as compared to an increase of 9.2% a month earlier and an increase of 2.3% in October 2017. The WPI inflation on monthly basis increased by 4.2% in October 2018 as compared to a reduction of 1.5% a month earlier and an increase of 0.6% in October 2017.
On an annual basis, prices of following food items witnessed an increase; betel leaves and nuts (141.44%), chicken (28.31%), spices (12.61%), meat (11.7%), cigarettes (10.89%), dry fruits (10.29%), rice (9.73%), tea (8.82%), sweat meat (7.74%), honey (6.67%), eggs (6.07%), jam tomato ketchup and pickles (6.04%), milk powder (5.47%), condiments, (5.37%), and readymade food (4.77%).
While prices of following food items witnessed a reduction; onion (55.97%), tomatoes (28.75%), potatoes (21.25%), pulse Mash (19.66%), gram whole (10.75%), pulse Masoor (7.95%), pulse Moong (5.79%), Besan (4.86%) and pulse gram (3.28%).
Prices of following non-food items increased on yearly basis; gas (104.91%), kerosene oil (31.81%), newspapers (27.82%), motor fuel (26.41%), transport services (17.74%), water supply (13.62%), motor vehicles (12.94%), doctor (MBBS) clinic fee (12.8%), personal equipments (12.38%), education (11.54%), construction input items (11.07%), medical tests (10.72%), utensils (10.58%), cosmetics (10.48%) and construction wage rates (10.01%).
On Monthly basis prices of the following food items increased; chicken (35.25%), eggs (14.41%), cigarettes (9.67%), tomatoes (3.85%), fresh vegetables (3.7%), spices (1.89%), betel leaves and nuts (1.77%) and wheat (1.56%).
Prices of following food items witnessed a decline on monthly basis; onion (4.43%), fish (1.38%), pulse Mash (1.18%) and gram whole (0.20%).
Prices of following non-food items registered an increase; gas (104.91%), newspapers (15.90%), communication & apparatus (7.54%), doctor MBBS clinic fee (3.39%), drugs & medicines (3.32%), motor fuel (3.23%), water supply (2.70%), personal equipment (2.62%), medical tests (2.37%), transport services (2.04%), motor vehicle accessories (1.88%) and construction input items (1.83%).
During the period under review, only non-food item which registered a decline in price is kerosene oil with registered 0.22% reduction in price.
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